Above And Beyond (To Save You)
Summary: Blood doesn't make a family, love does. And they'd be damned if one of their own was in danger. How far would they go to protect each other?
AN: This is an AU in the HTGAWM Universe, the plot will be revealing itself as the story progresses. All mistakes are mine and I don't own HTGAWM nor it's characters.
It was the 'Meet & Greet' Day at the orphanage; every year more than 30 sets of parents came by and talked with the kids, trying to pick who would be part of their families.
You hated the huge crowds and how you had to say goodbye to your friends when they left the orphanage hand in hand with their new parents, thus making it your least favorite day.
Every day, you waited for them to come to say hello and play with you, but they never came by.
(One day, you stopped waiting.)
As you grew older, you learned that being vulnerable only lead to heartbreak; the amount of friends you had became basically non-existent, and with every set of parents that ignored you during that day, you started to shut everyone out.
The rest of the kids began to whisper about you behind your back, they talked about how creepy you were.
The workers at the orphanage referred to you as 'shy little Laurel', the poor girl that was always alone.
They failed to notice of the awareness you had of your surroundings, how you knew almost every dirty little secret that those around you kept.
None of them seemed to realize that the only one who saved you was yourself.
You had noticed her the moment she walked through the orphanage's doors, it was hard not to notice her and the way everyone seemed afraid of her. You assumed it had to do with the color of her skin.
(You thought it was beautiful and briefly wondered if you could make your skin match hers).
The looks most of the adults gave her were the same one you received three years ago, when you first got there; you can still remember how the kids whose skin was white as snow teased you, often asking if you were an immigrant or the daughter of a famous Mexican drug dealer.
(You wondered if she ever heard something similar about hers).
So immersed were you in your thoughts that you failed to notice that the seat next to you was no longer empty.
"Hello"
Her voice was unlike any other that you've had heard, it was soft and strong at the same time. You liked that she didn't talk to you as if you were just another dumb kid.
"Hi" you turned to face her.
The first thing you noticed was her eyes –how they seemed guarded, hardened by years of suffering –, they seemed to soften as she gazed at your own.
(Maybe she was thinking the same about your blue eyes).
"I'm Annalise Keating" she offered her hand for you to shake.
Usually, you flinched and ignored the other people that tried to do the same, for some reason they always felt off, like they couldn't be trusted or wouldn't understand you.
You shook her hand and whispered shyly "Laurel"
Her hand was really warm and the years of hard work could be felt in her palm, you liked it and how her skin contrasted with yours.
Letting go of her hand, you looked away, pretended to watch the kids playing on the other side of the room and mumbled "Everyone's afraid of you"
"Are you?" from the corner of your eye, you could see her raise a perfectly sculpted eyebrow.
You looked at her directly in the eyes as you firmly said "No"
Her lips didn't curve into a smile, but you could see it in her eyes.
(As you lied on your bed that night, you realized that you never said goodbye.
For a moment you felt the sadness wash over you, but as soon as it came you shook it off; it was better that way.
When you closed your eyes, your dreams were about brown eyes and dark skin, and a family.)
The next time you saw each other was three days after the 'Meet & Greet'.
You were solving math problems meant for junior high students when she sat down next to you; you could feel her watching you, and after a while you said "I like math".
Apparently, she didn't think you would talk to her, if her eyes widening were an indication.
You continued working on the problems, until you pushed the book towards her and asked her to explain you how to solve a problem with two variables.
"I don't understand how to do this one" you had pointed out at the exercise.
She read the problem out loud, pausing to explain you what it meant.
You lost yourself in the way the words flowed out of her mouth.
(Later, you confessed that you only asked for her help because you liked her voice.
She smiled and told you she knew. You hadn't realized that she had seen the exercise solved in your notebook)
Annalise –she glared (but not really) at you when you called her Ms. Keating –came back regularly; sometimes you talked, most of the times you just sat next to each other in silence.
You learned several things about her, like her 'real' name (Anna Mae), her favorite color (Blue, she had said while you solved a crossword with her, it reminds me of the beach I used to visit when I was your age. Your eyes also remind me of that place), she's a defense attorney and possibly, a law professor (Do you know about the Middleton University?, you shook your head, It's the oldest one in Philadelphia, they offered me a job but I don't know if I'm going to take it, you asked why, she just smiled at you knowingly).
She also told you a little about her mother, you never asked her to tell you more about her because she got this faraway look in her eyes.
In return, you told her about your favorite book (The Little Prince), how your favorite color is red (when she asked why, you didn't tell her; somehow, she understood your silence), sometimes you would tell her about the people that were in the room, how mostly you just like to listen and watch.
One day, Martha –your social worker –gives you a big box with a huge ribbon on top of it; you opened it slowly while, unbeknownst to you, she packed your things in your backpack.
"Do you like it?"
You turned around so fast it gave you whiplash; Annalise was standing on the doorway of the room you shared with three other girls, she gave you that smile (you later realized it was your smile) and said "Well?"
"Why?" your voice broke a little, your eyes had glossed over at the sight in front of you.
The blanket was dark blue with little yellow stars; on a corner it had a planet and a version of yourself as the Little Prince, and on the border your name was stitched in white.
Two weeks later, instead of watching someone else walking away, you were the one going through the orphanage's doors with Annalise hand in yours.
(You never went back).
This is just the beginning.
You can follow me on tumblr as another-shipper, track the tag #AboveAndBeyondFic for spoilers, etc.
See you.